Question 1

How can I verify if a 1688 supplier is a real factory or a trading company?

Accepted Answer

Read the social security headcount in the supplier's annual report filed with the State Administration for Market Regulation. Where the entity discloses a figure of 0, that is legally inconsistent with operating a factory, because insured employment is what production staffing consists of. A figure of 50 or more is consistent with a small workshop. Cross-check the registered business scope for manufacturing language, and check whether the registered address is an industrial unit or a shared office. Note that a headcount that was never disclosed is inconclusive, not evidence of zero employees.

Question 2

What does social security headcount mean, and what if it is not disclosed?

Accepted Answer

Social security headcount is the number of employees an entity reported as insured through China's social insurance system in its annual report. It is the only supplier metric that cannot be bought, rented or staged, because it is filed with a regulator and published whether or not it flatters the company. Social security disclosure is a non-mandatory filing item, so many entities publish no figure at all. A disclosed zero and a missing figure are different findings: the first is a legal inconsistency that needs an explanation, the second is a gap in the record that no adverse conclusion can be drawn from. BCBIZ reports the second case as not disclosed and withholds a negative finding.

Question 3

What data does a BCBIZ background check actually cover?

Accepted Answer

Three layers. First, China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System: registration status, registered and paid-in capital, establishment date, legal representative, business scope, administrative penalties and court records. Second, official social security filings, which give the workforce disclosure described above. Third, platform standing, where available: tier of verification, years trading, and repeat-purchase rate. The authenticity grade is an algorithmic assessment over these fields, and where a decisive field is missing the grade is reported as insufficient data rather than as a negative finding.

Question 4

What is the difference between a Super Factory badge and TrustPass on 1688?

Accepted Answer

They are tiers of participation rather than grades of manufacturing. Chengxin Tong (Super Factory) is the higher tier and includes a capacity assessment. TrustPass is basic business registration and does not by itself establish production capacity. Neither tier substitutes for the entity's own regulatory filings, and neither is tied to the entity named on your purchase order unless you check that separately. Read any badge against the registry record of the counterparty that will sign the contract and receive the deposit.

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